Humans are inherently resilient. For each of us to be born, we require two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, sixteen-second great-grandparents and so on. Think about that for a moment. How many struggles had to be overcome? How many fears had to be conquered? How many expressions of hope for the future did your ancestors have to undergo for you to exist at this very moment?
Regardless of our inherent nature, insecurity, doubt, fear, and overwhelm can take over in moments of stress and anxiety, making us unable to see the beauty in temporary defeat; Unprepared for a world that will serve lessons wrapped in adversity.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back by accepting difficult circumstances as part of life and not any anomalies. No matter how hard we try, we can never get to a place where problems stop appearing. Life is an unending series of complications which are nothing more than opportunities to evolve. People who lack resilience seek comfort, forgetting that comfort is another word for stagnation.
Remembering that resilience requires a skill set that you can work on and grow over time is imperative. For example, spending time getting your mind quiet, creating space between your thoughts, setting up situations where you get past your mind every day and Training the mind to be flexible and open rather than fearful and rigid; are all effective practices you can incorporate. But, above else, resilience starts with a commitment to re-framing every life experience as an opportunity to grow.
JASMINE KARIMI
NMSA International CAO
secretary@naturopathicstudent.org
